Performance Packages for the Ford Ranger

[Snoranger]

Cause & Effect:
Cause = 4x4's cost more and make more money for everybody except the buyer, SO lets stock the dealers with 4x4's and sell the sh!t out of them.
Effect = Now people have 4x4's and don't go off road, because the dealer only stocks 4x4's.

I've heard/read on here several people say their dealership barely stocks 2wd trucks of any kind. because the 4wd trucks carry a premium and salespeople make 4wd trucks seem superior to 2wd. So people buy 4wd trucks. Then the same salesperson will tell you how they "can't" hardly sale a 2wd truck. It's not even science, it's just a sales tactic. and then they go and make the 2wd trucks with 4wd "stance", so they can sale 2wd trucks. ( I'm lookin' @ u FX2)
The new 3 stages of "Ford Performance" stuff is a prime example. They're selling more 4wd variants of the same truck, and the stickers seem to be what you get the most of. ( oh, AND blue or red hooks)

4wd is a $4000 option on a XLT Ranger ($3500 on a XLT F150)... that’s a drop in the bucket when you’re already spending $40+.

Around here maybe 75% or more of trucks are 4wd.... we get snow. We could get 6’ or 3” throughout a season, you never know what’s coming. (This past winter we had 2 snow falls that amounted to less then 3” of snow.) People think they’re going to get snowed in and die.... They NEED 4wd!!!
I alway buy 4x4s because it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Plus my job requires me to come in and fix the plow trucks. No excuses, you get called in you’ve got 45 minutes to get ready and get to the shop.
It’s way easier to reach down and click it into 4wd, than it is to deal with putting weight in the bed, or driving more carefully, or paying attention to the road, or slowing down to match my speed to the road conditions, or putting on snow tires, or actually learning how to drive.

 

[sgtsandman]

My experience with BF Goodrich T/A KO2 tires is they are rock throwing sons-a-bitches.

If your truck is mostly a pavement crawler, but you have a gravel driveway, or work somewhere that has a gravel or road base parking lot, avoid T/A KO2's.

The place I used to work had road base in the parking lot. I'd pull out to head home and it sounded like bird shot slamming into the wheel wells and rocker panels.

That has not been my experience with the ones on my 2011. They haven't thrown rocks any less than any other AT or aggressively treaded snow tires ever have. One's experience may vary based on tire size and tread width though. They have picked up rocks on occasion for sure but have never sounded like I was blasting the crap out of my wheel wells.

 

[sgtsandman]

There is a lot of truth in most 4X4 vehicles rarely leave the pavement. People buy them for a styling statement. To each their own. I've yet to take my 2019 off road but plan to. It's part of the reason I bought it. The 2011 will probably get abused more though since it is the older vehicle. It just depends on what I'm doing at the time and how many people I'm taking with when I do it. Of the two, the 2019 is better equipped at the moment. Something I very much want to change as I get the time and money.

It is also true that the two door Jeep Wrangler is the off road king. Until someone builds something in it's size and class, it's going to remain that way. The old Rangers, when properly equipped, will give a Wranger a run for it's money but the Wrangler will still beat it because the Ranger isn't as small. No matter what upgrades you put on a Ranger. One can't beat physics.

 

[Ranger850]

There is a lot of truth in most 4X4 vehicles rarely leave the pavement

Because they only sale 4wd trucks

4wd is a $4000 option on a XLT Ranger ($3500 on a XLT F150)... that’s a drop in the bucket when you’re already spending $40+.

4wd is a premium that gets the salesman more $$$. $4,000 is still $4,000. a penny saved is a penny earned. If I don't need it, I don't want it.

 

[Snoranger]

Because they only sale 4wd trucks

4wd is a premium that gets the salesman more $$$. $4,000 is still $4,000. a penny saved is a penny earned. If I don't need it, I don't want it.

Most people are dumb... They need true AWD with no buttons, levers, indicators, etc. It just needs to be idiot proof.
I’ll just leave this here:

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

It is also true that the two door Jeep Wrangler is the off road king. Until someone builds something in it's size and class, it's going to remain that way. The old Rangers, when properly equipped, will give a Wranger a run for it's money but the Wrangler will still beat it because the Ranger isn't as small. No matter what upgrades you put on a Ranger. One can't beat physics.

2dr might slip thru trees easier, 4dr is better at climbing hills and has more room for people/gear. They also ride/handle better and can be better on rocks.

Like weight wheelbase is a very sharp double edged sword, what saves you here can cut you there.

It really depends on what you are doing. Another weak spot for Wranglers in general is they don't have much for payload capacity. So like if you are overlanding, you hit the overloaded wall a lot faster than if you had a similar sized pickup.

"offroading" is a very broad term and there isn't a brush broad enough to paint a vehicle that is good at everything that "offroading" encompasses.

My offroading generally involves shuttling around farm equipment, a Wrangler is kinda worthless for that.

I have lobbied for my wife to check into a Wrangler because it would take our gravel road much better than her Edge though. It would never go to a ORP kind of offroading but it wouldn't be sitting up by the highway high centered in snow like her current AWD crossover likes to do either.

 

[HenryMac]

Cause & Effect:
Cause = 4x4's cost more and make more money for everybody except the buyer, SO lets stock the dealers with 4x4's and sell the sh!t out of them.
Effect = Now people have 4x4's and don't go off road, because the dealer only stocks 4x4's.

I've heard/read on here several people say their dealership barely stocks 2wd trucks of any kind. because the 4wd trucks carry a premium and salespeople make 4wd trucks seem superior to 2wd. So people buy 4wd trucks. Then the same salesperson will tell you how they "can't" hardly sale a 2wd truck. It's not even science, it's just a sales tactic. and then they go and make the 2wd trucks with 4wd "stance", so they can sale 2wd trucks. ( I'm lookin' @ u FX2)
The new 3 stages of "Ford Performance" stuff is a prime example. They're selling more 4wd variants of the same truck, and the stickers seem to be what you get the most of. ( oh, AND blue or red hooks)

There was a time when 4x4's for the most part were bought by folks that needed them for snow.... not going off road. Now the 4x4's ride as nice as the trucks 2wd variant.

If I lived in Florida though and never traveled North, no way no how I would buy a 4x4.

It would be interesting to look at 4x4 vs 2wd truck sales numbers for all 50 states.

 

[sgtsandman]

2dr might slip thru trees easier, 4dr is better at climbing hills and has more room for people/gear. They also ride/handle better and can be better on rocks.

Like weight wheelbase is a very sharp double edged sword, what saves you here can cut you there.

It really depends on what you are doing. Another weak spot for Wranglers in general is they don't have much for payload capacity. So like if you are overlanding, you hit the overloaded wall a lot faster than if you had a similar sized pickup.

"offroading" is a very broad term and there isn't a brush broad enough to paint a vehicle that is good at everything that "offroading" encompasses.

My offroading generally involves shuttling around farm equipment, a Wrangler is kinda worthless for that.

I have lobbied for my wife to check into a Wrangler because it would take our gravel road much better than her Edge though. It would never go to a ORP kind of offroading but it wouldn't be sitting up by the highway high centered in snow like her current AWD crossover likes to do either.

I need an Overlander more than a trail buggy but your point is well made. Thus why I have the Rangers I do and a utility trailer that can go off road but probably wouldn't survive a trail ride unless is was a moderate trail or less. Trail buggy trailers are way too small and way to expensive for what I need.

 

[Ranger850]

If I lived in Florida though and never traveled North, no way no how I would buy a 4x4.

Me to the T

 

[Blmpkn]

4wd isn't even a strict requirement for a snowy climate honestly.

I've been driving rwds through Maine winters for the majority of a decade now, and I can count the number of times that snow halted my travel exactly once.. And it was my fault (bald tires way too far into the fall, when we'll usually get a surprise storm that'll drop 8-10)

Weight and snow tires (being prepared..) is all the average person needs. Disabling traction control helps enormously also, as the ability to gain and maintain momentum without a computer saying "NO!" at the first hint of wheelspin is paramount.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I learned the traction control thing real quick. It actually caused me to loose momentum and come to a stop. I had to shut it off to get going again. I've also gotten around in the snow without much trouble with a set of snow tires.

 

[Jim Oaks]

FYI, you can buy all of these parts individually:

Search for Ford Performance Parts

Welcome to the Ford Performance Parts website. Offering quality aftermarket parts specifically engineered and designed for your Ford Powered vehicle.

performanceparts.ford.com

 

[Snoranger]

FYI, you can buy all of these parts individually:

Search for Ford Performance Parts

Welcome to the Ford Performance Parts website. Offering quality aftermarket parts specifically engineered and designed for your Ford Powered vehicle.

performanceparts.ford.com

Don’t worry everybody... I got the part numbers for the red or blue tow hooks:

 

[Jim Oaks]

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[sheep herder]

Krylon? That's high dollar! I usually get spray paint at Dollar General.